Kazan was founded in the 13th century by the Khan of the Golden Horde known as Kazan-Khan 45 km from the present city. It was moved to its present position in the 15th century. Tatars are a Turkic people descended from Mongol-Tatar armies of Genghiz Khan and his successors. In 1552 Ivan the Terrible invaded the city and forced the Muslims to become Christian. St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was built to celebrate the taking of Kazan. Kazan architecture combines different styles hinting at the pretentious late Italian Baroque and refined Antiquity, magical Moorish bliss, an oriental cloud cloaking rich merchants and nobility private residences, and ancient skill of a traditional Tatar stone art originating in bas-reliefs.
THE KHAN`S COURTYARD AND THE COMPLEX OF THE GOVERNOR`S PALACE.
A street leads straight as an arrow from the Spasskaya Tower archway into the oldest and highest part of the Kazan Kremlin. It is here, on the ground of the former palace complex of the khans of Kazan, that the Govenor's palace has been situated since the middle of the 19th century. Today it serves as the official residence of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan.
In olden days, the Khan's courtyard dominated the Kazan skyline. Surrounded by several walls on different levels, the complex consisted of the monumental edifice of the Khan's palace with three tented cupolas and many adjacent pavilions, galleries and utility buildings. Here the Khan's Mosque with the Khan's tombs also stood. It is known that the Khan's courtyard also housed other tall stone mosques and mausoleums, stone baths and caravanserais. The Khan's Mosque, two white-stone mausoleums, the stone walls of the citadel, as well as wooden houses, towers and workshops can still be seen on the grounds of the Khan's palace as archaeological remains.
The development of trade in Kazan runs the same way, that has passed big cities of Central and Eastern Europe, including Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. The structure of commodity circulation changes towards the increase in quota of «civilised» trade. These dynamics are evidence of rise of inhabitant's prosperity and forms so called «medium class» , whish makes demands of the level of shopping places.
Your expenses depend, of course, on your lifestyle. If you cook for yourself, it will cost you about 3000-4500 Russian Rubles a month to buy food. If you live with a family, you spend less on food. Stores and markets in Kazan provide a wide variety of familiar foods at affordable prices. Please note that the cost of living in Kazan is still lower than in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1, 143, 546(2010 Census preliminary results), it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia. In 2009 it was chosen as the "sports capital of Russia"..
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